For years, I would go into sales meetings with nervous apprehension, not knowing what to say in order to convince clients that they should choose my company to design their new website or other marketing materials. My plan was to introduce myself, hand the client a business card and folder with some literature about our […]

Aside from making the decision to quit your job and start your own business, hiring your first employee can be one of the scariest and most exciting moments in the career of an entrepreneur. If it’s done wrong, it can cost a considerable amount of money and possibly put the survival of your business on […]

In the past year or two I’ve read a few books and articles that encourage freelance designers and small business owners to avoid referring to themselves in the plural as a way of making their operation look bigger than it really is. For example, if you’re a sole proprietor, the argument is that there’s nothing […]

Most designers will, at some point, work with a client who is difficult to please. Even if you work through all the challenges and frustrations and somehow manage to satisfy the client, the final design often ends up being worse due to the client’s micromanagement or ill-advised preferences. What if you knew in advance that […]

If you’re a web designer, you’ve probably had more than one client ask you about hosting: Where will my site be hosted? Do you provide hosting? Can I continue hosting my site with my current provider? Some clients are particularly hands-off and need someone to handle everything relating to their website, including domain registration, hosting, […]